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This Halloween, we’re taking you inside Columbus’s viral goth bakery—Bite This—where the bagels are skull-shaped, the playlists are heavy metal, and the owner, Annie Dixon, is redefining what it means to build a brand with bite.

In this raw and wildly fun conversation, Annie opens up about her journey from elder emo to entrepreneur — including the dark humor, brutal honesty, and radical self-acceptance that fuel her success.

You’ll hear:

• How Annie built Bite This, the goth bakery everyone’s lining up for
•  The story behind her viral Skull “Reapers” and bagel bombs
•  The truth about addiction, recovery, and rebuilding your life
•  The business lessons she’s learning while scaling a cult favorite

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a creative, or just someone who loves a good comeback story — this one’s got layers. (Like a killer brownie.)

Connect with Annie:
Bite This: https://www.bitethisbyannie.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bitethisbyannie/

Connect with Keri:
Watch this episode: https://www.kericroft.com/podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekericroftshow

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The Riveter’s Amy Nelson joins me on the pod to launch The Brave Shift Live Series—a brand-new collaboration between The Riveter and The B Lab that helps people in business build through the mess.

Together, we go deep on what it really means to make a brave shift—the kind that changes everything. From career pivots and business reinvention to mindset and mental athleticism, this episode explores how to listen to your intuition, reset your focus, and build through change with clarity and courage.

✨ Inside this episode:

• The story behind The Riveter x The B Lab collaboration
• What “The Brave Shift” means—and how to know if you’re in one
• My personal journey through a brave shift
• Amy’s evolution through growth, loss, and reinvention
• Frameworks like The Focus Formula, Internal + External Audits, and DOT (Do One Thing)
• A first look at The B10 Challenge and how to join

Whether you’re pivoting, rebuilding, or just ready for more alignment in your life—this episode will remind you that you’re not alone, and that you can build through anything.

Listen, subscribe, and join the Brave Shift movement:
→ The Riveter
→ The B Lab newsletter
→ Follow @TheKeriCroftShow on Instagram for updates

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This week, I’m sitting down with Joel Furno, the founder of Citrin—a valet company that started with $200 and a dream—and now employs over 700 people across the country. But this episode isn’t just about business growth. It’s about personal growth.

Joel gets real about the shadows behind success—depression, marriage struggles, and what happens when achievement isn’t enough—and how a single psychedelic journey cracked him wide open. We go there: the messy middle of building a company, the healing work that saved his marriage, and why true leadership always starts within.

We talk about:
⚡ How he built a multimillion-dollar company while still in college
⚡ Why employee-first culture is his secret weapon
⚡ The spiritual awakening that changed his life—and his marriage
⚡ The role psychedelics can play in healing trauma and addiction
⚡ Why “marriage coaching” might just be your next power move

This one’s deep, funny, and brutally honest—the kind of conversation that reminds you success means nothing if you don’t know yourself.

💡 If this episode lit a fire under you to get more intentional about how you lead, build, or pivot—come hang with me inside The B Lab. It’s where brave entrepreneurs go to get unstuck, sharpen their vision, and build something meaningful. Interested? Email me at [email protected].

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Everyone’s out here glued to their follower count like it’s the stock market. But let me hit you with some truth: likes don’t pay the bills. Revenue does.

In this Ask Amy x The Keri Croft Show mashup, Amy Nelson and I go all in on the difference between chasing vanity metrics and actually building a business that works. We dig into:

✨ The wild ROI of email marketing (and why it’s still the most underrated tool in the game)
✨ How effort—not excuses—is the edge you’ve been missing
✨ Why growth mindset beats “safe and stuck” every single time
✨ What it really looks like to start over, pivot, and create something better

And in case you missed it—Amy drops something big in this episode: she’s officially working with The B Lab. Why? Because even after building The Riveter and leading massive teams, she knows it’s never too late to shift gears, find clarity, and build something new that actually fires you up.

This one’s for anyone who’s tired of feeling stuck on the content hamster wheel and ready to put their energy into what actually moves the needle.

So quit obsessing over followers. Start building revenue. Let’s go. ⚡️

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Let’s just call it like it is—Troy Allen has a reputation. Some people call him a visionary. Others? An a**hole.

On this week’s episode, I sit down with the man behind Pins, 16-Bit, and some of the biggest nightlife and entertainment concepts in Columbus and beyond. Troy’s been building incredible brands people actually feel for decades—and he’s not afraid to ruffle feathers along the way.

We talk about the highs, the hits, and the hard truths that come with being known as a controversial leader. From losing his marriage and shutting down concepts, to reinventing brands and confronting depression head-on, Troy opens up about his reputation, how he’s evolved, and what he’s learned from both failure and success.

And for everyone asking—yes, we get into the future of The Bogey project. But I'm not spilling the tea here—you'll have to tune in for that 😉.

This conversation is raw, real, and full of the kind of unfiltered honesty you don’t get from most business leaders. Whether you think Troy’s misunderstood or just brutally direct, you’ll hear a side of him you’ve never seen before.

Because at the end of the day, building big shit isn’t about playing nice—it’s about being all in or getting out.

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What happens when you stop reasoning with yourself, stop waiting for permission, and just decide?

You get Cory Gregory.

This week we packed up the mics and headed out to Buckeye Lake to sit down with Cory on his turf—Muscle Island. And let me tell you…this place isn’t just a slice of paradise. It’s a masterclass in vision, grit, and relentless execution.

We’re talking about:
⚡ The decisions over feelings mindset that has fueled Cory since day one.
⚡ How he turned a wild daydream into a multimillion-dollar legacy property for his family.
⚡ Why consistency—not motivation—is the real superpower.
⚡ The financial IQ and life lessons baked into building Muscle Island from scratch.
⚡ And how to channel discipline into confidence, momentum, and results.

Cory doesn’t just preach it—he lives it. From 4AM training sessions to building businesses and writing books, his story is proof that if you’re willing to put in the work, you can change your trajectory.

Quick heads up: my mic had a little attitude during this recording, so my audio isn’t as crystal clear as usual—but the conversation is too damn good not to share.

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This week, Amy Nelson is back in the studio with me—and we’re talking about something I honestly wish we didn’t have to: the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Not from a political lens, but from a human one. From the lens of being parents trying to raise kids in a world where violence is live-streamed, group chats move faster than the news cycle, and childhood innocence feels harder and harder to protect.

We talk about:
 ✨ What it means to have real conversations with our kids about violence and humanity.
 ✨ The tension between wanting to keep them safe while also telling them the truth.
 ✨ How we, as parents, are holding the weight of this moment—and why silence isn’t an option.

This isn’t about red vs. blue. It’s about compassion, courage, and community. It’s about asking the hard questions out loud, even when we don’t have the answers.

Take a breath with us. Tune in. And maybe—just maybe—this conversation helps you feel a little less alone in the heaviness of it all.

👉 And if this episode hits home for you, DM me and join the conversation. I want to know how you’re navigating this with your kids, your family, your own heart. Let’s talk about it—together.

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Some dreams take everything you’ve got. And then they ask for more.

Today, I sat down with Krista Guagenti, founder of Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique, whose story proves what it really means to keep moving—even when the setbacks pile up and the odds feel impossible.

Krista didn’t grow up with a roadmap to entrepreneurship. She was the first in her family to graduate college, worked 90-hour weeks in corporate America, got turned down by banks (and then turned down again), and faced roadblock after roadblock on the way to bringing Panacea to life. Most people would’ve quit. Krista doubled down.

Because when you believe in your vision—even when no one else does—you find a way.

In this episode, we dig into:
 ⚡ Why grit—not luck—is the real differentiator in business
 ⚡ How Krista kept pushing when every door slammed in her face
 ⚡ The messy, non-linear path from Budget Blinds to Panacea
 ⚡ How personal loss solidified her mission to create a space for healing
 ⚡ The future of Panacea, including a major new expansion in Bridge Park

If you’ve ever felt like giving up on your dream, Krista’s story will remind you: setbacks aren’t stop signs. They’re the proving ground.

Follow Krista & Panacea:

• Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique
• Instagram: @panacealuxuryspa
• Tune into Krista’s podcast Serenity and Fire wherever you listen. Also, give her a follow on IG @serenityandfire

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Before you can build a business, you’ve got to build belief.

This week I’m pulling back the curtain on a very special B Lab client of mine—Megan Goodman. Megan came in with a head full of ideas, a ton of passion, and (like so many of us) a little voice in her head that kept saying who am I to do this?

In this episode, we talk about what it really looks like to start from scratch—without a clear roadmap. From vision boards to brand kits, from big dreams to tiny first steps, Megan and I dig into how you move past self-doubt and start building something that feels authentic to you.

✨ What we cover in this episode:

• Why belief in yourself always comes before the business plan
• How to find your “first pin on the map” when you want to do all the things
• Why changing your mind (again and again) is part of the creative process
• What happens when you give yourself permission to start small—and grow from there

Megan’s story is proof that you don’t have to have it all figured out to take action. You just have to start.

🎙 And don’t forget to hit subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

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Amy Nelson is back! Every time we sit down, I walk away fired up and inspired to do more, be more, and lead with more clarity. This time we dove into women in leadership and how damn hard it can be to walk the line between being “too soft” or “too much.”

We get into:
⚡ Leading with authenticity
⚡ Why being “bossy” is actually a compliment
⚡ Why asking for forgiveness beats waiting for permission

We also cracked open something really close to my heart right now: The B Lab. It’s the engine I’ve been quietly building to help entrepreneurs cut through the noise, get clear on what they really want, and actually start moving. Talking it through with Amy reminded me exactly why I started—because waiting for permission is a waste of your damn time.

Amy, thank you for always bringing your wisdom, your honesty, and your fire to this show. Every conversation with you leaves me better—and I know you'll feel the same.

Got questions for Amy? DM the show on Instagram or email us at [email protected].